Herb baste

5 sprigs thyme, just the leaves
1 large garlic, peeled and crushed
20g parsley, picked and washed
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
45ml olive oil
20ml red wine vinegar

1. Finely chop the herbs and garlic. If you’re not sure if it’s chopped enough, keep chopping.
2. Place in a bowl, add the oil, then the shallot and red wine vinegar. Mix well and refrigerate until required.

Onion purée

The trick here is to take the cooking of the onions really slowly. Longer and lower is better.

2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
25g butter, preferably unsalted
100ml cream
Pinch salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Slice onions thinly. Cook slowly in the butter in a frying pan with the lid on, without colouring. Once they are soft and tender pour in the cream.
2. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then puree onion mixture in a blender until smooth. Pass through a sieve and season with the salt and pepper. Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Caramelised onions

10ml olive oil

2 onions, peeled and halved
Thyme sprig
10g unsalted butter
Salt
White pepper

1. Heat a pan with a little oil and place the onions in, cut side down. Add thyme sprig and roast for about 25 minutes. If onions start to brown too much, cover with tinfoil and add a little wine or water to the pan. Season with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Bordelaise sauce

100g shallots, peeled and finely diced
250ml red wine (a good strong type or even a Bordeaux if you have it)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Few parsley stems
1 litre beef or veal stock
Bone marrow, diced (buy split marrow bones from your butcher, scoop out marrow, soak in icy water and refrigerate overnight)
Good pinch chopped parsley for serving

1. Heat a pan, and add the shallots and cook in a little oil for a few minutes, without letting them brown.
2. Add the red wine and increase the heat. Drop in the herbs. Reduce the wine until the shallots almost fry again.
3. Once reduced, add the stock and reduce until you have about 150ml left or until the stock becomes syrupy. Cool the sauce a little and pick out the bay leaf, parsley stems and thyme sprig. Set sauce aside until needed.
4. Reheat as the steak rests (see below), add the soaked bone marrow and chopped parsley and serve immediately before the marrow melts fully.

Cook’s note: Please don’t use Tetra Pak stocks or bouillon cubes … they really aren’t as good as a real stock and so many supermarkets sell the real thing. If you must use these, then don’t reduce the sauce too much, and make sure you taste … you can always thicken it with a little bit of cornflour or arrowroot mixed with cold water.

Beef

Take the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking so it comes to room temperature and use a heavy bottomed pan. Rub the steak with oil and salt, rather than oiling the pan. 

4 rump cap steaks, about 250g each, fat trimmed but not completely removed
30ml olive oil
Salt flakes to taste

1. Place the steak into the hot pan, fat side down first. This will melt away the excess fat and also give the fat layer a great crust. Then cook the meat for ... Now, I’m not going to tell you to cook your meat for 5 minutes on one side, as I cannot see how thick it is or how well you like it cooked. So cook the steak until it’s almost done. For example, if you want it medium, take it off when it’s rare, and allow the meat to finish its cooking away from the pan. As you cook it, brush it with a little herb paste and save more for serving.

To assemble and serve

 Reheat components of dish at serving time, as your steak rests. Pour a little bordelaise sauce with the diced marrow over your meat, along with a drizzle or two of herb baste, a spoonful of onion puree and a caramelised onion half.